Blog Post

Discover the top best golfers of 2017, and see who might have a shot of improving their rank with a win at the upcoming PGA Championship.

Best Golfers:

1. Dustin Johnson

Johnsons is still ranked the best golfer in the world, but he has lost some momentum in 2017. He was injured at home before the Masters, which he doesn’t seem to have fully recovered from. Before the Masters and his injury, he was looking like he was going to dominate this year. He did put on a good showing during the third round of the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, but never looked like he was in contention to win the tournament.He’s currently looking to bounce back, and still remains within the top favorites for the PGA Championship in August.

2. Jordan Spieth

Spieth has had an excellent year so far in 2017, winning most recently at the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. This was his third major title, and puts him within reaching distance of achieving the grand slam if he can win at the PGA Championship.Spieth is consistently ranked high by fans, experts, and sportsbooks, and he’ll often be found at the top of the odds sheet for any major or minor tournament. Speith has started the year well with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, and despite some results that have been up and down (he was outside of the top 10 at the Masters), he’s still ranked as one of the best golfers in the world.

3. Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama has continually impressed this year, and is currently one of the favorites for the next major golfing tournament on the calendar. Matsuyama has already had four wins on the PGA tour, with his most recent being at the Phoenix Open in February. He’s also won the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament, and the Memorial Tournament early in his career.This year has seen him close to the top of every tournament, and he finished in second place at Erin Hills for the 2017 U.S. Open. If he can win at the upcoming PGA Championship, then he will become the first Japanese professional golfer to win a major tournament. Currently ranked 3rd best in the world, he has a strong chance of doing so.

4. Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has had a frustrating season where his performances haven’t reflected his full potential. Even with setbacks, he is still ranked 4th in the world, and he’s one of the strong favorites to win at the PGA Championship in mid-August.This year has been compromised by injuries, problems in putting, and has so far been winless. McIlroy is hoping to turn things around by parting ways with longtime caddy J.P. Fitzgerald, after a deterioration in their working relationship left McIlroy feeling frustrated and resentful. Although the timing of the move has been questioned by some analysts, it could be the best thing for McIlroy in terms of getting his stroke back and heading to the top spot in the world golf ranking.

5. Sergio Garcia

Garcia has experienced recent success, and still remains one of the top players in professional golf. Being ranked 5th in the world ahead of the PGA Championship, he’s a player that has the talent to win a major tournament. Garcia has a steep swing, which can hinder him on some courses, so he’s a golfer that could benefit from some variation in his play. He’s always an outside bet for the winner of any tournament that he enters, but he’s consistently within the top 15, which helps him to maintain a high ranking when compared to some players who have achieved better individual tournament results.

6. Jon Rahm

Rahm was impressive throughout 2016 and has continued his form in 2017. He can compete with the top 10 golfers on his best days, so with some consistency he could become one of the greats in the sport. Consider Rahm to be a wildcard in any tournament that he enters.

7. Jason Day

Australian Jason Day knows what it’s like to be at the top of the world golf rankings, and in 7th position, he’s still fairly close. 2016 was a strong year for Jason, after winning at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also won at the 2016 Players Championship, and was praised by many of the other top golfers in the sport. For 2017, his form hasn’t been quite as good. And he’s yet to win on the PGA Tour this year. With his last win coming in May of 2016, he will be eager to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. At this stage he’s not a favorite for any upcoming tournaments, but, like any top golfer, a win is always a possibility.

8. Henrik Stenson

Stenson won twice last year on the European Tour, at the BMW International Open and the Open Championship. He can consistently score high at tournaments, which helps him to maintain his position within the top 10 world golf rankings. This year his best results have been 2nd at the World Golf Championships, 7th at the Valspar Championship, and 11th at the Open Championship. He’s been golfing professionally since 1999, which means that he’s on the tail end of his career. However, he still has the skill and the fitness to surprise us at major tournaments.

9. Alex Noren

One of the best golfers, Alex Noren, has had a solid year and makes it into the 9th spot of the official world golf rankings. His scoring average on the PGA tour has been 71.217, which is enviable for a golfer this age. His high place finishes have been strong, including a best of 5th this year at the World Golf Championships, 6th at the Open Championship, and 10th at the Players Championship.

10. Brooks Koepka

Rounding out the top 10 best golfers is Brooks Koepka, the man who won the U.S. Open in 2017. He’s finished in the top 10 for 6 tournaments on the PGA tour, and this year is looking to be one of the best of his career so far. With an improvement in his scoring average it won’t be a surprise to see Brooks climb in the world golf rankings before the end of the year. He will be a strong contender at the upcoming PGA Championship.